Rusty Nuts Grand Challenge 2005

**Lee Rusty** · 18th October 2005, 21:10

you mean getting caught up in the spirit of things
no worries there

I am mindful of some one else who had a pre GC ride to harden up a few bums that had 9 start and 2 finish.

Just making a point - not trying to stifle ideas

just if they go wrong we dont want to implicated.

**Smoggie** · 18th October 2005, 22:59

Hope there was no damage there Brett, and have a nice holiday. When you are back down here, if you fancy a ride out, let me know. Home number is: 04 2989 537.

**Brian d marge** · 19th October 2005, 02:00

Now and again there comes a thread and a reply that sets the gears in the grey matter in motion ( well it made me LOOK like I was working !) ..and the idea of trying ,,this 1000 mile challange on me Enfield sort of wouldnt leave my mind today ,,
so i sort of roughly ,,went through this years route ,,,estimate everything from stop signs to traffic lights ...
and at a VERY rough guess I would have about 4 hours ,,,up my sleeve ,,,for EVERYTHING ELSE that happened UNDER 45 mph yup everything ....

The thing is ,,,its one of those numbers thats JUST on the borderline ,,,one fart and you blow the deal ..........

Now the thing is ,,,the course MUST be achievable at speeds under 100 kph ( cos if it isnt then its illeagal and Hellen and her tax collectors ( 2 L as in Hellen of Troy ) wouldnt like it and the organisers would be in trouble for promoting ileagal activities ,,,,,)

So at the mo ,,its like ,,that old clint eastwood movie .....did I fire 5 or 6 shots can it be done or cant it ...which was probably the Idea in the first plce !!!!

Still well done those that finished it .....its a long ride what ever way u look at it !!!

Stephen

**Warr** · 19th October 2005, 07:59

Originally Posted by Brian d'marge

Now the thing is ,,,the course MUST be achievable at speeds under 100 kph ( cos if it isnt then its illeagal and Hellen and her tax collectors ( 2 L as in Hellen of Troy ) wouldnt like it and the organisers would be in trouble for promoting ileagal activities ,,,,,)
Stephen

So your Enfield, is this something off the shelf new or something about as old as me!!
If the later it prob has 6volt electrics. That being the case you would need to keep it legal cause I've never seen a 6v radar detector.

So I'll look out for you at next years GC then!

**figjam** · 19th October 2005, 08:33

Originally Posted by RiderInBlack

Hey Groins, were you the KB'er on the ZZR250. Man if it was, you were riding sweet

That might have been me. I was having a ball until I hit a sleepy spot on the boring stuff after the Mount Maunganui check point and backed off a bit.

Fields Track woke me up (as I knew it would). Last time I did that on the ZX-12R in the dark - doing it on the ZZR in the day was no better. Lee is an evil bastard!

**RiderInBlack** · 19th October 2005, 10:13

Originally Posted by figjam

That might have been me. I was having a ball until I hit a sleepy spot on the boring stuff after the Mount Maunganui check point and backed off a bit.

Fields Track woke me up (as I knew it would). Last time I did that on the ZX-12R in the dark - doing it on the ZZR in the day was no better. Lee is an evil bastard!

Yep, that was you

**Brian d marge** · 19th October 2005, 13:58

Originally Posted by Warr

So your Enfield, is this something off the shelf new or something about as old as me!!
If the later it prob has 6volt electrics. That being the case you would need to keep it legal cause I've never seen a 6v radar detector.

So I'll look out for you at next years GC then!

Actually it started life of the shelf ...but as the thing hasnt really changed since ,,,56 ..a very good year ..not as good as 66 when England won the world cup ...So I have an eariler motor in new cycle wear ,,,its ( and has been in the proccess of a rebuild ,,,for a while now ...been to busy with the racing ,,,,
We will see how things pan out ,,next year ...I want to take a holiday and do something I ve always wanted to do ...
The Fink in Aussie ..... The 100 In NZ ,,,..or buy an old landrover safari and start at the top and drive ,,,Slowly to the bottom of NZ ..( with family )

Stephen
BTW ,,,I have a good Radar detector ,,,my eyes ....the last ticket I got was ..in 1993/4 ...for not wearing a seat belt ...
it would be good to see/meet up with you lot ......

**RiderInBlack** · 19th October 2005, 14:13

So I'm posting part two here as well

:

RIB"S GC Ride Report "There and Back Again"
Chapter Two: The Ride Plan.

Fu*ken 7am in the morning. So much for my sleep-in plan. Go back over GC route sheet. Thank to the Rusties I was talking with last night, I feel that I have it sussed. Time for a big Rusty Breakie (thanks Rusty guys and girls just what I need). Heaps of eggs, bangers, toast and lots&lots of peaches and fruit salad. Last big meal chance before starting as I only have a light lunch just before the ride.
Spend some more time planning my fuel stops and ETA's (Expected Time of Arrival) for check points. Go over this with Holly Roller. Two main concerns when planning this:

where am I going the need the 24 hrs fuelling stops
how to get the best out of my range.

Basic plan went something like this:

My given start time for the GC is 3:38PM Sat. Check Point 1 @ Tauriko is 306Km according to the Rusty Sheet. "Roxanne's" Max range is 320Km and I will be carrying 5 extra litres. Will aim for this to be my first fuel stop. ETA 7:30pm.

Tauriko to Turangi and Check Point 2. 205Km, ETA 10pm. Plan will not fuel here but carry on to Taupo to refuel with a total of 257Km from last fuel stop. ETA some where between 10:30 and 11pm.

Check Point 3 @ Gisborne still too far away with "Roxanne's" range. 401Km from CP2 (Turangi) and 349Km from Taupo. Will need a 24hrs fuelling stop before CP3. Choose Wairoa @ 235Km from Taupo. ETA 1:30-2am Sunday. ETA for CP3 3-3:30am. Plan not to refuel there but @ Opotiki (which is a 24hrs SS), which is 257Km from my last fuel stop @ Wairoa. ETA for Opotiki 4:30-5am.

Check Point 4 @ Mount Maunganui. 280Km from CP3 (Gisborne) and 137Km from Opotiki. ETA 6:30-7am. Plan not to fuel here but @ Taupo, which is 301Km from my last fuel stop. ETA before 9:15am. Plan to make Taupo my last fuel stop as there is only 258Km to the finish from here, but have allowed a "Comfit" stop at Waiouru if I need it and refuel there if I do. 113Km from Taupo ETA before 10:45am.

Check Point 5 is in the middle of nowhere. There is not fuel here, but all going to plan I should not need it. No distances give for CP 5 so I do not know what my ETA is.

Finish is 1617Km from the start, 425Km from CP4, 254Km from Taupo, 141Km from Waiouru. Plan having fuelled at Taupo, I should make it here without needing more fuel. Has the spare 5L if I do. ETA before 12:30pm Sunday, hoping for 21hrs or less (which would be an improvement on last year) with an average of 77Kph.

Just rest and discuss the route with other riders. Look at the weather and see Huey is going to keep me guessing the last.

Briefing at 2:30pm Sat. Lee is a laying down the law. Slight change of plans. Due to the entry numbers, Lee is going to send us in groups of 10. This means there will be a slight change in my start time. Made mental note to myself to note my actual start time and adjust my ETA's accordingly. Huey keeps changing his mind every 5mins and I can feel the anticipation build. At the last minutes I decide that the showers are going to lift and leave my wet weather "all-suit" off and just go with the leathers. I will soon Know if my plans are the right ones.

To be continued.

**justsomeguy** · 19th October 2005, 17:13

Nice reading your reports RIB.

Really looking forward to "RIB's Ride" - can we call it that???

No hurry matey - you take your time. Give us a holler if you want anything done this side.

**justsomeguy** · 19th October 2005, 17:22

Originally Posted by Warr

Will you be still on a 250 by next years challenge ?

I think so.

Unless I'm able to shorten my restricted to full time from 18 months to 12 months... then may be able to squeeze in with a bigger bike.

**Lee Rusty** · 24th October 2005, 23:35

a little one will do just fine, after all if the scooters can do it, and the 250s can do it. There is a lot to be said for having a bike you can ride to it's limits, without exceeding yours.

**Zapf** · 24th October 2005, 23:56

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

I think so.

Unless I'm able to shorten my restricted to full time from 18 months to 12 months... then may be able to squeeze in with a bigger bike.

how good is the head light on the ZXR?

**figjam** · 25th October 2005, 00:04

Actually closer to 2 and a half thousand km’s by the time I got down there and back. Last weekend I took part in the 19th annual (my 7th) Rusty Nuts Grand Challenge.

I’ve been slow (and lazy) in getting the 12 back on the road (ZX-12R, wee accident earlier in the year), so I took the ZZR250. I had a nightmare getting it ready on Friday. It cut out in the rain, on the way to Motohaus, where Kerry was going to fix the pack rack. I coasted down the south side of the Harbour Bridge and into Shelly Beach road. I had barely started pushing it to a safer position, when a ute pulled to a stop in front of me. I never cease to be amazed by the camaraderie among bikers (he was a biker paying the bills in his day job). After loading the bike on the back of the ute, he dropped me off at Motohaus. I offered, but I knew he wouldn’t take anything for the help.

To cut a depressingly long story short, when we pulled the spark plugs out, the gap was at least three times what it should have been. When we put it back together (with new plugs) it wouldn’t idle, so the carbs got a going over, only to discover the vacuum hose on the fuel tank was probably the cause. Then the tail light was blown and the light switch for the front brake was acting up. After deaing with that lot it was evening before I got home and I spent an hour or so trying to line everything up on the pack rack and bolt it in. By the time 7p.m. had rolled around I had decided “F*%k it! By the time I get down there tonight it’ll be too late to buy booze. I’ll get up early and go down tomorrow.”

I left around 6a.m. on Saturday morning and arrived at the Turangi Holiday Park sometime around 10. I didn’t even have chance to get off the bike before the guys grabbed me for scrutineering. I failed, with the brake filament of the tail bulb I had replaced less than 24 hours ago blown. Unfrigginbelievable! Bulb replaced and scrutineering passed I went to remake old acquaintances until the briefing at 2:30.

It was about then I was presented with an unexpected honour in the form of a red shirt or two, along with a special patch, stickers and a pin. I had been invited to become a member of the Rusty Nuts (for all my sins), which I had no hesitation in accepting. The Rusty Nuts have an active membership of around 21 members and places don’t become available very often (only as others leave etc.), so like I said I’m honoured. I’m also apparently an enigma (Sally!), as being the newbie makes me “shiny rust” for the moment.

At the briefing we had 108 starters (104 finished) which is right up there (if not a record) for entries. I didn’t think too much about it until someone else pointed out that fuel prices were also pretty much at a record. I know it says something about the people who do this run, but I still haven’t been able to find the right words to describe it. It was also interesting that the percentage of riders doing it for the first time was nearly half (49) instead of the usual third. Due to the large numbers riders were started in bunches of five or ten instead of the usual two or so.

I started with a group around 3:10 and had forgotten how much fun it is making the 250 go fast. I had a ball for the first 9 hours or so, riding with a couple of quick groups and amusing a few people with the poor little screaming 250. After leaving camp the course took us north on Highway 41 and 4 to Taumarunui. Just north of Taumarunui we turned right to Ongarue, Waimiha and HIghway 30 to Te Kuiti. If you’re ever heading north on SH 4 and see that turn off - take it! Those back roads were one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole trip.

Having made our way through Te Kuiti we came to a time check point at Otewa. The purpose of this was to gauge the general speed of the riders and how much they were spread out. The weather had improved from the threatening clouds at the start, to the point that I saw a couple of people pull over on the way, to shed the wet weather gear they were sweltering in.

From the hall at Otewa we continued through Otorohanga, Kihikihi, Putaruru, Highways 28 & 29 through to Check Point One at the Tauriko Caltex just outside Tauranga. Whichever power company looks after the Arapunui Dam had something major going on which lead to quite a cool ride for the detour around the dam.

Gassed up and checkpointed, the course then took us to Rotorua via Pyes Pa Road (SH 36), Highway 30 to Atiamuri, Whakamaru and the Western Access Road (SH 32) back to Check Point 2 at the Shell station at Turangi. This is one of Lee’s favourite tricks - put the riders really close to their nice comfortable bed. Just to tease and see if he can tempt someone into dropping out.

From there it was north on Highway 1 to Taupo and Highway 5 to Wairoa and Checkpoint 3 at the Gladstone Road Caltex in Gisborne. At a quick gas stop in Wairoa, the group I was with worked out we had done 800 odd km. in just over 8 and a half hours. Considering that included stopping for gas and checkpoints I was happy.

While at the checkpoint in Gisborne we saw a police car fly past, lights blazing on it’s way to some incident. Didn’t think anything of it until, on our way out, heading to Opotiki, the group (of 5) I was a part of, was suffering a little from the bravado that comes from travelling in packs. It disappeared when the night behind us suddenly lit up in red and blue. You know that sinking feeling you get when that happens and you look down at your speedo? You could just about hear the sighs of relief when we were told to move over and get out of the way. They must have been on the way to the same incident as the earlier car.

Somewhat chastened (but not much really) we continued to the next leg to the checkpoint at the Bayfair Caltex back in Mt. Maunganui. Nothing much of note on this leg, so it seemed to fly by.

It was here I hit a tired patch and decided to back off. The time around dawn is often bad for tiredness and I think I was paying the price for breaking my usual routine of coming down on the Friday, staying up late and sleeping late on Saturday. I said goodbye to the group I had been riding with and continued on at my own pace. There was a lot of straight stuff from the Mt. Manganui checkpoint on the highways though Rotorua, Taupo, Turangi and Waiouru which did nothing for my tiredness. I never thought I’d be glad to see Fields Track but I knew it’d wake me up and it did. It is an evil little sealed goat track, often only one lane wide, with potholes you could lose your bike in. The last and first time I did it was in the dark, on the 12. Doing it in the day, on a comparatively nimble little bike did noting to improve the experience. Lee will be remembered by many for that little piece of evil.

Once through to the final checkpoint at Kakatahi I was awake again and enjoyed a pleasant cruise, in brilliant weather, via State Highway 4, National Park and State HIghway 47 back to Turangi and the finish. Finish time was about 10:45, so around 19 and a half hours for the trip.